Name _________________________ Roll No.

________ Section _____

CRPF PUBLIC SCHOOL, ROHINI, DELHI
MID TERM EXAMINATION (2024-25)
HISTORY
CLASS XII
Time allowed: 3Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
(i) Question paper comprises five Sections – A, B, C, D and E. There are 34 questions in the
question paper. All questions are compulsory.
(ii)Section A – Question 1 to 21 are MCQs of 1 mark each.
(iii) Section B – Question no. 22 to 27 are Short Answer Type Questions, carrying 3 marks each.
Answer to each question should not exceed 60-80 words.
(iv)Section C - Question no 28 to 30 are Long Answer Type Questions, carrying 8 marks each.
Answer to each question should not exceed 300-350 words
(v) Section D – Question no.31 to 33 are Source based questions with three sub questions and are
of 4 marks each
(vi) Section-E - Question no. 34 is Map based, carrying 5 marks that includes the identification
and location of significant test items. Attach the map with the answer book.
(vi)There is no overall choice in the question paper. However, an internal choice has been
provided in few questions. Only one of the choices in such questions have to be attempted.
(viii) In addition to this, separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever
necessary

SECTION A
1. Name the first site to be discovered in the Indus Valley Civilisation.
(A) Harappa (B) Dholavira (C) Mohenjaodaro (D) Chnhudaro 1

2. Consider the following statement: 1

1. After independence, most of the Harappan civilization centers went over to Pakistan.
2. The Harappan script has not been deciphered.
3. Rulers had no role to play in Harappan civilization.
4. Dead were cremated in Harappa.
Which of the above statements are incorrect?
(A) 1, 2 and 3 (B) 3 and 4 (C) 2 and 4 (D) Only 2 and 3

3. Which of the following Statement is incorrect regarding the weights used during the Harappan
period? 1
(A) The Harappan people had developed several kinds of small and heavy weights.
(B) They were cubical in shape and had no markings.
(C) These weights were mostly made of hard stones like chert.
(D) The higher denominations of weights were binary in multiples of two.

4. __________ was the first professional archaeologist to serve in India as Director of ASI. 1
(A) Cunningham (B) Marshall (C) Wheeler (D) Mackenzie

Or
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 The given image is probably of___
(A) Dancer (B) Mother Goddess (C) Queen (D) Priest

5. Assertion (A): Historians have tried to understand the situation of the ordinary people’s
problem by examining the stories contained in the Panchtantra and Jataka tales. 1
Reason (R): Ordinary people rarely left accounts of their thoughts and experiences
(A)Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(B)A and R are true but R is not correct explanation of A
(C)A is true but R is false
(D)A is false but R is true

6. The Manusmriti was compiled between________________ 1

(A) 200BCE - 200 CE (B) 500 BCE- 400 BCE(C) 300 CE- 400 CE(D) 500 CE - 600 CE

7. Who deciphered the Brahmi and the Kharoshtl scripts? 1

(A) James Princep (B) Cunningham (C) Wheelar (D) John Marshall

8. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the duties as laid down in Manusmriti
for the Chandalas? 1
(1) They had to live on the outskirts of the village.
(2) They had to use discarded utensils.
(3) They were supposed to wear old clothes of the villagers and ornaments made from copper.
(4) It was their duty to serve as executioner and dispose of the bodies of those who had no
relatives.
(A) 1, 2 and 3 (B) 1, 3 and 4 (C) 1, 2, and 4 (D) All are correct

9. The early Tamil Sangam literature mentions ploughmen known as________ 1

(A) Adimai (B) Pannai (C) Vellalar (D) Uzhavar

10. How many schools of thoughts were established in the Indian sub-continent during mid-first
millennium BCE?
(A) 72 (B) 64 (C) 60 (D) 68 1

11. Which of the following place and event with Buddha’s life is matched correctly? 1
(A) Where he was born -Bodhgaya
(B) Where he attained enlightenment - Lumbini
(C) Where he gave his first sermon - Vaishali
(D) Where he attained nibbana -Kusinagara

12. These are some of the rules laid down in the _____________ for the monks who join
Sanghas. 1
(A) Sutta Pitaka (B) Vinay Pitaka (C) Panchtantra (D) Puranas
Or

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The _____________________________ motif suggests that many people who turned to
Buddhism enriched it with their own pre-Buddhist and even non-Buddhist beliefs, practices and
ideas 1
(A) Shalbhanjika (B) Jataka (C) Empty Seat (D) Bodhi Tree

13. Consider the following statements about the Stupas: 1

1. The stupa is an Arabic word meaning a heap.
2. Above the anda was the harmika, a balcony like structure.
3. Arising from the harmika was a mast called the yashti
4. Around the mound was a railing, separating the sacred space from the secular world.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(A) 1,2 &3 (B) 1,2 &4 (C) 2,3 & 4 (D) All are correct

14. Which of the following place is associated with lively discussions and debates during mid-
first millennium BCE? 1
(A) Temples (B) Vihars (C) Kutagarashala (D) Chaityas

15. What is the meaning of Urs? 1

(A) Qawwali at a dargah (B) Pilgrimage to the dargah of a sufi saint.
(C) Marriage (D) Death of a Sufi saint

16. Amir Khusrau was the murid of _______________________ 1

(A) Shaikh Salim Chishti (B) Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya
(C) Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti (D) Shaikh Nasiruddin Chiragh-i Dehli

17. Which of the following is associated with Nayanar? 1

(A)Nalayira Divyaprabandham (B)Tevaram (C)Rigveda (D)Samaveda

18. In _____ an Arab general named Muhammad Qasim conquered Sind, which became part of
the Caliph’s domain. 1
(A) 711CE (B) 756 CE (C) 1025CE (D) 1193CE

19. Assertion (A): Kabir,s Ultimate reality is Allah, pir ,alakh, Atman, shabda. 1
Reason (R): Kabir described God in nirgun form
(A)Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(B)A and R are true but R is not correct explanation of A
(C)A is true but R is false
(D)A is false but R is true

20. Institutionally, the sufis began to organize communities around the hospice called ______
(A) Khanqah (B) Silsila (C)Dargah (D) Urs 1

21. Consider the following statements and select the correct from the following option: 1
i. Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is simple and lucid.
ii. It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters.
iii. He was familiar with translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts.
(A) i and ii (B) ii and iii (C) i and iii (D) all are correct

SECTION-B
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (3X6=18)
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22. How did Magadha become the most powerful mahajanapada? 3

23. Who composed the original story of the text of Mahabharata? Describe the various stages
through which Mahabharata was completed between the 5th century BCE and 400 CE? 3
Or
“The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras also contained rules about the ideal occupations of the
four categories of varnas.” Critically examine the statement.

24. Examine why Bernier described the Mughal .towns as the ‘Camp Towns’. 3

25. Explain the observations of Ibn Battuta about the cities of India, with special reference to
Delhi. 3

26. Explain the strategies for procuring materials by the Harappans for the craft production.
Or
How did architectural features of Mohenjodaro indicate planning? Support the statement with
examples. 3

27. Identify the relationship of the Alvars and Nayanars of Tamil Nadu with the state from the
eighth to the eighteenth century. 3
Or
Mention any two sources to know about Bhakti and Sufi traditions from 8th century to 18th
century.

SECTION C
Long Answer Type Questions ( 8X3=24)
28. What are the rules of gotra as given in Brahmanical practice? Give some example to show
that these rules were not always followed. 8
OR
What do you know about the authors and the period when Mahabharata was compiled? Explain

29. The conception of social pollution intrinsic to the caste system was contrary to the law of
nature.” Examine Al-Biruni’s statement on Indian caste system in detail. 8
OR
Compare and contrast the perspectives from which Ibn Battuta and Bernier wrote their accounts
of their travels in India. Discuss the extent to which Bernier’s account enables historians to
reconstruct contemporary rural society.

30. Explain the structural and sculptural features of the Sanchi stupa. 8
OR
Discuss the development in sculpture and architecture associated with the rise of Vaishnavism
and Shaivism.

SECTION-D
Source Based Questions
31. Read the excerpt carefully and answer the given questions.
Why Kinfolk Quarrelled?
This is an excerpt from the Adi Parvan (literally, the first section) of the Sanskrit, Mahabharata,
describing why conflicts arose amongst the Kauravas and Pandavas. The Kauravas were
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the…sons of Dhritarashtra and the Pandavas…were their cousins. Since Dhritarashtra was blind,
his younger brother Pandu ascended the throne of Hastinapura.. . However, after the premature
death of Pandu, Dhritarashtra became king, as the royal princes were still very young. As the
princes grew up together, the citizens of Hastinapura began to express their preference for the
Pandavas, for they were more capable and virtuous than the Kauravas. This made Duryodhana,
the eldest of the Kauravas, jealous. He approached his father and said, “You yourself did not
receive the throne, although it fell to you, because of your defect. If the Pandava receives the
patrimony from Pandu, his son will surely inherit it in turn and so will his son and his.
We ourselves with our sons shall be excluded from the royal succession and become of slight
regard in the eyes of the world, lord of the Earth! Passage such as these may not have been
literally true, but they give us an idea about what those who wrote the text thought. Sometimes,
as in this case, they contain conflicting ideas. (1+1+2)
31.1 Why did the citizens of Hastinapura , express preference for Pandavas?
31.2 Explain the reactions of Duryodhana against Pandavas.
31.3 Explain the criterion of patrilineal succession

32. Buddhism in Practice:

This is an excerpt from the Sutta Pitaka, and contains the advice given by the Buddha to a
wealthy householder named Sigala.
In five ways should a master look after his servants and employees… by assigning them work
according to their strength, by supplying them with food. and wages, by tending them in
sickness; by sharing delicacies with them and by granting leave at times …
In five ways should the clansmen look after the needs of Samanas (those who have renounced
the world) and Brahmanas; by affection in act and speech and mind, by keeping open house to
them and supplying their worldly needs.
There are similar instructions to Sigala about how to behave with his parents, teacher and wife.
32.1 In what ways should a master look after his servants and employees? (1+1+2)
32.2 In what ways should the clansmen look after the needs of Samanas?
32.3 Explain the main aspects of Buddhist philosophy.

33. A Church in Khambat:

This is an excerpt from a farman (imperial order) issued by Akbar in 1598. Whereas it reached
our eminent and holy notice that the padris (fathers) of the Holy Society of Jesus wish to build a
house of prayer (Church) in the city of Kambayat (Khambat, in Gujarat); therefore an exalted
mandate… is being issued… that the dignitaries of the city of Kambayat should in no case stand
in their way but should allow them to build a Church so that they may engage themselves in their
own worship. It is necessary that the order of the Emperor should be obeyed in every way.
33.1 How did Akbar ensure that the wish of padris was fulfilled? (1+1+2)
33.2 Who guided the Muslim rulers?
33.3 What the given excerpt revels about Akbar’s attitude towards other faiths?

SECTION-E
34.1 On the given political outline map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate
symbols: (1+1)
(i) Dholavira, a mature Harappan Sites
(ii) Patliputra or Ujjaini, Capitals of Early States
34.2 On the same outline map three important Buddhist sites have been marked as A, B, C.
Identify them and write their correct names on the lines marked near them. (1+1+1)

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 B

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